The home-decor industry raked in over 20-billion dollars in Canada in 2002 (thank-you, Trading Spaces). For those of us who prefer a personalized touch without spending a fortune, House Proud is a great source. Danielle Proud, the British queen of cheap-chic is the ultimate recycler, reclaiming forgotten treasures with tried and true crafting skills. With great detail and lots of pictures she demonstrates each step in a multitude of projects: turning a threadbare 1960's dress into oven mitts, past issues of Vogue magazine covers into placemats, vintage plates into an attractive roller blind (yep, roller blind), a boring IKEA-like dresser into a one-of-a-kind objet d'art, and a shark into a door-stop (yep, shark). The projects are divided by room, including ideas for 'in-between' spaces and the garden, and she provides tips and tricks for finding fine flea-market furniture too. Since this is a UK publication, the list of sources in the back are not especially helpful for quick visits unless you like shopping on-line, but armed with this book, her website (houseproudcraft.com) and possibly the IKEA-hacker site (ikeahacker.blogspot.com), anyone can transform their homes, apartments and dorm-rooms into something spectacular.

Find it here in the SPL catalogue.